CHAPTER 1

RATIONALE
Over the past years, animated films have become increasingly more important to the movie
industry. Their increasing popularity is evident when looking at box office hits like Coco, Moana,
Frozen and Tangled, to name a few.

No one will deny that some animated movies are more attractive to audiences than others.
Previous studies show that a film’s story and visual effects are the decisive factor that makes a
film a success or a flop. The story and visual effects plays a central role in bringing in an audience
and thus determining a film’s critical acclaim and financial success. The story concept ties
together various elements that are all closely related and together contribute to the overall effect
of an animated film. This research aims to explore the impact of story and visual effects of
animated film to teenagers in order to better understand what makes a successful film as well as
provide a useful reference for animation studios as they are deciding whether or not to pursue a
certain script.

RESEARCH IMPEDIMENTS

The limitations of the study are as follows:

1. The selected samples for theoretical analysis are only 10 animated movies, which are
the top ten according to box office rankings even through there are thousands of animated
movies.

2. The analysis is limited to the visual effects and story elements of the films, while there
are other important factors that contribute to the success of an animated movie.

3. The conclusions of this research are limited to the personal understanding and
generalization of the researcher.
 CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
In order to fully address the research question, several related topics were assessed during
the literature review. These topics included prior studies of storytelling methods, diverse story
elements, methods of movie scripts evaluation, and the function of human perception on works
of art. Thus this section has been divided into four parts. The first includes an introduction and
general background on animation. The second provides theories of story elements. The third
contains relevant examples of animation analysis from different viewpoints. The fourth section
presents psychological theories that can be applied to animation because of the connection
between psychology and human perception.

The History of Animation

Animation dates back to the birth of human culture. The word animation comes from the
Latin word “anima,” which means life (Louise, Megan, & Abby, 2011) and soul (Bin, 2009). The
verb form, “animare,” refers to the act of making something alive (Bin, 2009). Since the
beginning of art as we know it, artists have been interested in making still art move. This is
evidenced in ancient cave drawings in which the artists drew animals with extra legs and heads
in an attempt to depict movement.
The nineteenth-century marked the start of inventors creating machines in an attempt to
make pictures move. The first was the zoetrope which was invented in 1834. (Louise, Megan &
Abby, 2011). In 1868 an English printer made the first flip-book (Louise, Megan & Abby, 2011).
In the same year, photographer Eadweard Muybridge, captured people and animals in motion by
taking multiple pictures of them with several cameras (Louise, Megan & Abby, 2011). He then
combined all of these pictures together to create the illusion of movement.
Animation can be defined as “continuously broadcasting of a series of pictures, or the
drawing which creates continuous changes to the vision” (Bin, 2009, 503-504). This phenomenon
is a trick of human vision and depends on the storage trait of the human eye (Louise, Megan &
Abby, 2011). What looks like a video to the viewer is actually a rapid sequence of still images.
This process is how animated movies and television shows are created. Jayne (1997) pointed out
that the most important reason is movie directors and studios. They widen the animated films’
market beyond the traditional core target of the family with young children to an older, young
adult audience deliberately.
Movie Script Evaluation
No one will deny the importance role that the script story plays in animated films. Jehoshua,
Sam and John (2006) posit two reasons why it is necessary for a studio to carefully evaluate
movie-scripts before they are green-lighted. First, it’s extremely crucial that a company foresee
the potential popularity of movie scripts because the financial investment required to make a
movie is so large that studios cannot afford to make mistakes. Second, a script’s story is the most
decisive factor in determining the success of a movie. A good storyline is the foundation of a
successful movie production (Jehoshua, Sam & John, 2006): “any great film is always driven by
script, script, script” (Silver, 2003). Pixar affirms this idea in their famous tagline -- “Story is
King”. Because of the significant role that story plays in the movie industry, many previous
researchers have built models that attempt to anticipate a movie’s success of failure. In order to
foresee a movie’s performance during the story selection process, Jehoshua, Sam and John (2006)
put forward the “bag-of-words” model. This model scripts by the words it contains and how many
times a word appears without paying attention to word order. But the accuracy and reliability of
such a method is limited when applied to a movie script because of the multiple dimensions
contained in a story. For example, the short story of “A killed B” is markedly different from that
of “B killed A” (Jehoshua, Sam & John, 2006) since a movie script’s story is more likely to be
subjective and can’t be clearly understood by a computer, researchers presently approach the
problem using human judgments. Blacker (1988), Field (1994, 1998) and Hauge (1991) described
22 specific criterions for a good movie story. Then, human judges read the story and answer
several questions. Their answers serve as indicators of a script’s initial box office performance.
The 22 criteria used include Early Exposition (EAREXP), Surprise (SURP), Conflict Build-Up
(BUILD), and Character Growth (CHARGROW). The 22 questions research method heavily
influenced this study.
As stated above, the previous research on methods for judging a movie’s story are primarily
based on the experience or intuition of the investigators. Because of this, these 10 studies lack
objectivity or accuracy. In order to produce a more objective and accurate study, this research
will start with the story itself and make use of the analysis gained from prior theories.

Theories of Story Elements

According to Seymour (1978) story is only one aspect of narrative text. Figure2.1 charts
his theory on the structure and components of a story.

Figure 2.1. Structure of narrative text (Seymour, 1978)

Another classification provided by Stewart (1929) describes the elements of a

rounded story. He indicated that a rounded story includes theme, scene, plots, character,
conflict or suspense, climax, and ending. He also lists some other points to consider in
evaluation a rounded story like viewpoint, flashback, transition, and revision (Frank &
Sandra, 1971).

2.3.1. Theme
Stewart (1929) stated that in the beginning of a story, it’s important to arouse an
audience’s curiosity and get them interested in the theme of the story. It is crucial that the
theme single and clearly defined (Ellin & Janice, 2010) in order to make the story tellable.
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Theme is defined as the chief idea or spiritual content conveyed by a story and can be
thought of as the soul of a story.

2.3.2. Characters
"If plot is a story’s skeleton, characters are its heart” (Laura, 2003). There are
several methods for the building of a vivid character. The X-Ray Method (Stewart, 1929)
may be instructive for the delineation of characters. Frank and Sandra (1971) proposed a
method that focuses on detail. They posit that during the character creation process, the
most effective method of characterizing is to describe a character by using specific and
active details and selecting only those that show individuality. An effective measure for
storywriters in practice is the “character tag” (Stewart, 1929) which involves asking a
series of questions about the character to determine the chief characteristics of him /her.

2.3.3. Plots
Plot does its work without being detected (Frank & Sandra, 1971). Plot is the
story as it is actually told by linking the events together; it is how the reader becomes
aware of what happened, i.e. the order of the appearance of the events in the work itself
(Seymour, 1978). Therefore, it’s reasonable to see plot as the real structure of the whole
story. Ellin and Janice (2010) treat “a well-developed plot” as the second most important
factor in a tellable story.
Frank and Sandra (1971) hold the similar opinion that a plot consists of scenes.
They write that each scene should contain: sharply delineated characters, clash and
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conflict that keeps building actively as something happening, a time boundary, a place
boundary, and an emotion boundary.

2.3.4. Scene
Frank and Sandra (1971) proposed a useful formula for a good scene. They list
the five parts of a successful scene. 1. Meeting – of the two forces involved in the conflict:
the two forces or persons must clash. There must be emotion. 2. Purpose – make every
scene have a purpose. 3. Encounter – which contains these possible elements: attempts –
to interrogate or seek information, to inform, to overcome by argument or logic, to
convince, to persuade, to influence, impress, to compel. 4. Final action – win, lose, or
quit. 5. Sequel or Aftermath – (state of affairs; state of mind) – which leads into your next
scene. A good way to learn the scenic reversal rhythm is to outline complete scenes of
professional stories or movies (Frank & Sandra, 1971).

2.3.5. Conflicts and Suspense

Stewart (1929) introduced the mechanics of suspense. He writes that contrast is
the base for conflicts, conflict is the base for suspense, and suspense is the author’s snare
to catch and develop the reader’s interest in the development of the whole story. There
are five kinds of conflicts: man versus himself, man versus his background, man versus
his situation, man versus man, and man versus fate. A story should be built on one major
conflict and a series of smaller ones, and the smaller conflicts serve to mark the process
by which the major conflict is resolved.

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2.4. Research Examples of Animated Movies

Animation is the omnipresent pictorial form of the modern era (Paul, 2005). It is a
cultural symbol in our society. Most research in this area takes the form of case study.

2.4.1. The Theme of Disney’s Animated Movies

David (2008) takes a fresh look at Disney animated films from the perspective of
their engagement with the theme of nature. Some of Disney’s animated movies don’t
focus primarily on nature or natural environments, but the humanist core (Bin, 2009) is
closely related to the natural world. This research proved instructive for the theme study
undertaken in this work.
David (2008) details the different ways that Disney films interact with nature. The
first type is the Adaptation of Fairy Tale Theme (David, 2008). Previous research
suggests that in all of Disney’s early films based on fairy tales (Snow White, 1937;
Cinderella, 1950; Sleeping Beauty, 1959), “evil is always associated with the female
nature out of control…The ultimate message of all three films is that, if you are
industrious, pure of heart, and keep your faith in a male god, you will be rewarded” (Jack,
1991).
The second type of Disney nature theme describes a connection with nature.
Social relationships with animals, as well as emotional interaction with them may act as a
necessary part of healing (Jack, 1991). The wound that needs to be healed is the long
term disconnection with wild nature that has resulted from life in modern society; this
kind of wound separates us from understanding the true meaning of being human.
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The unexpected critical and commercial success of Seal Island in 1948 caused
Disney add a new category of nature, “True Life Adventures” (David, 2008, pp.100-108).
In true life adventure tales, “The lessons we learn from the wild become the etiquette of
freedom” writes Gary in The Practice of the Wild (1991, pp.13).
The Little Mermaid (1989) is Disney’s first attempt to revive the fairy tale format.
It also established the viability of a different kind of heroine for the medium of animation
(David, 2008). So the only solution here seems to be the separation of the natural and
human world.
This article is quite useful for this research because it is deeply related to this
topic. The direction and method of its analysis would be helpful for a case study. Useful
themes conveyed by the above elaboration of this study are the underlined sections. They
will act as a valuable norm for this study.

2.4.2. The Morality of Disney’s Animated Movies

Film is a powerful storyteller. By employing narrative, visuals, and music a film
enhances its power to communicate a vision of moral living (Annalee, 2002). And five
consecutive Disney animated films represent diversity in story origination and reveal
differing dimensions or perspectives of Disney morality (Annalee, 2002). The five
animated films are: The Lion King (1994), Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre
Dame (1996), Hercules, and Mulan (1998) (Annalee, 2002). Therefore, it is valid for this
research to choose the top 10 animated movies according by their box office success and
perform a case study based on previous theories and variables obtained in this part.

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2.4.3. Pixar’s Animated Movies
Pixar’s animated movies are based on the study of ethics. Ethics, which means
“the love of wisdom”, is a branch of philosophy. Robert (2010) stated that ethics is a
study of what ought or ought not to be done. Wisdom helps us make correct judgments
and decisions concerning various issues; in the same way, characters in movies are
guided by wisdom (Robert, 2010).
The virtue and wisdom that Pixar films impart to audiences are hope and
imagination (Robert, 2010). Robert evidenced this claim by pointing out that “in Finding
Nemo, Dory keeps telling Marlin ‘just keep swimming,’ which conveys the theme that we
should always see the bright side of everything and keep on going no matter what our
situation is.” Hope is one of the most important and common themes in Pixar films like
as Wall-E and Up. Although these films include the reality of suffering in life and human
society, they give us hope for a brighter future (Robert, 2010).
Identity is the theme of Toy Story. Justice is the theme of A Bug’s Life (“For
oppressed ants everywhere!”). Friendship can be seen in “Toy Story II” (“You’ve got a
friend in me”). Humor can be seen clearly in “Monsters, Inc” (“These are the jokes, kid”).
The strong bonds of Family is shown strongly in Finding Nemo (“I have to find my son”).
Courage and Responsibility are the themes in The Incredible (“Where is my Super suit?”).
The Adventure of life can be experienced in Cars (“Life is a journey”). Ambition is
found in Ratatouille (“I want to make things”). Technology and happiness are the focus
in Wall-E (“Everything you need to be happy”). Love is in Up (“I have just met you, and
I love you!”) (Robert, 2010).

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2.5. Related Psychological Theories
This section details the psychology used to explain human perception phenomena.
The following are some relevant psychological studies.

2.5.1. Emotion of Interest

Silvia (2005) proposed that though psychologists have studied human interest for
a long time (Arnold, 1910; Dewey, 1913), they have only recently viewed it as an
emotion. And there are different models for determining what makes art (Berlyne, 1971),
text (Schraw & Lehman, 2001), vocations, (Savickas & Spokane, 1999) and learning
interesting (Hidi, 1990; Krapp, 1999).
The two variables related to human interest according to the “curve of interest”
(Silvia, 2005; Jesse, 2002) are “Novelty – Complexity” and “Coping Potential” (Silvia,
2005). More specifically, “Novelty – Complexity” describes reliable effects on interest.
This means people may become reliably become interested in something new, ambiguous,
complex, obscure, uncertain, mysterious, contradictory, unexpected, or otherwise not
understood (Silvia, 2005). “Coping potential” estimates the resources, power, ability, and
control in relation to an event (Bandura, 1997; Lazarus, 1991).
Jesse (2002) describes “interest curves” that show the general change of human
interest during the process of entertainment as time progresses. There are several crests
and troughs on the curve that determine its shape. Three factors are considered to
comprise interest: inherent interest, poetry of presentation and psychological proximity
(Jesse, 2002).

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2.5.2. Focus, Empathy and Imagination

Focus, empathy and imagination can be regarded as the raw materials that make
entertainment possible (Jesse, 2002). Focus is tied to “dramatic appeal” (Ellin & Janice,
2010). During the storytelling process, children need a perfectly safe edge of fear and
sadness to satisfy their dramatic instincts (Ellin & Janice, 2010). Empathy is one of the
most indispensable emotions and it allows us to appreciate artistic works. It is empathy
that creates living characters (Frank & Sandra, 1971).

2.6. Summary
The main function of this chapter is to provide relevant information gained from
previous studies. First, it gives a theoretical basis for the case study analysis of story
elements like the criterion of a good story. Second, it provides suggested methodology
for the theoretical analysis process of this study such as the research examples about
Disney’s and Pixar’s animated films. Third, this chapter details theories that influenced
this study, such as the “22 questions list” and psychological theories on human perception.